BATON ROUGE -- Honey Badger takes what he wants, and Tuesday that may be a class schedule and a syllabus.

Former LSU star football player Tyrann "Honey Badger" Mathieu plans to enroll at LSU today, his stepfather Tyrone Mathieu told ESPN.com on Monday.

"Tyrann is working on discipline, maturity and character," the elder Mathieu said. "He's making life adjustments."

Mathieu, who was dismissed from LSU's football program on Aug. 10 for repeated substance abuse policy violations, has been enrolled in a drug rehabilitation center in Houston since Aug. 14 after deciding against transferring to a lower-division school to play football this season.

The spectacular junior cornerback and punt returner from New Orleans created a national stir last season with a nickname from a wildlife video on the aggressive African honey badger that went viral after being interspersed with highlights of Mathieu's wild gift for takeaways that was alarmingly similar to the badger. "Honey Badger takes what he wants," the video announcer said.

Mathieu ended up among the nation's leaders in forcing fumbles, recovering fumbles and returning punts on his way to finishing fifth in the Heisman Trophy race and winning the Bednarik Award that goes to the nation's best defensive player.

But Mathieu, 20, can only attend LSU this season. He cannot play on the football team after being dismissed for continuing to test positive for marijuana over the last year. Mathieu was suspended for the Oct. 22 Auburn game last season because of a positive drug tests, and suspensions from play usually only happen after two positive drug tests, according to LSU's substance abuse policy.

Whether or not Mathieu could return to the team for the 2013 season is a mystery. Miles and athletic director Joe Alleva each made it clear on Aug. 10 that Mathieu was permanently off the team. Asked if he was off permanently, Miles said, "Yeah. He will not be back. Things are spelled out what we can do. We've extended this to the full length of the policy."

Alleva also referenced LSU's substance abuse policy. "The policy is a written policy," he said. "It's like the speed limit. He's been over the speed limit. Being an athlete is a privilege, and you have have to follow rules to take advantage of that privilege. Unfortunately, he doesn't have that privilege here anymore."

And associate athletic director for compliance Bo Bahnsen, who works with drug tests, reiterated on Aug. 13 what Miles and Alleva previously said -- that Mathieu was "permanently ineligible." LSU's substance abuse policy states that if a fourth positive drug test occurs, "permanent ineligibility to participate at LSU will result."

But since Aug. 13, LSU associate athletic director Herb Vincent has maintained that LSU is not speculating on Mathieu's future.

On Aug. 14, when Miles was asked almost exactly the same question as he was on Aug. 10 about Mathieu's status after this season, he had a different answer. "I am not in any way speculating," he said. "I have no idea beyond that."

If Mathieu cannot return to LSU for 2013, he could transfer to another highest division school. Should Miles not give him a release to a certain school or school such as an Alabama or a Florida, Mathieu could appeal. Or Mathieu could enter the 2013 NFL Draft as a junior.

"He is a pro talent, no question," NFL Draft expert Mike Detillier, who works in the New Orleans area and has been in contact with the Mathieu family, said Monday night. "It is an eternity between now and January. Who knows what will happen because Mathieu has been all over the board? Right now, his main goal has to be to stay clean and to stay away from others who could lead him down the wrong path."

Mathieu's plan to enroll is coming just in the nick of time. The deadline to enroll for the fall semester is Wednesday. Originally, the deadline was Aug. 29.

"But it was moved to Friday and then to this Wednesday due to Hurricane Isaac," Vincent said.